This review of child poverty in rich countries finds that the proportion of children living in poverty in the developed world has risen in 17 out of the 24 OECD nations for which data are available. No matter which of the commonly-used poverty measures is applied, the situation of children is seen to have deteriorated over the last decade. UNICEF believes that reversing this trend is a priority for the OECD countries. Allowing the kind of poverty that denies a child the opportunities that most children consider normal is a breach of the United Nations "Convention on the Rights of the Child" to which almost all OECD countries are committed. Reducing child poverty is also a measure of progress towards social cohesion, equality of opportunity, and investment in both today's children and tomorrow's world. This report explores one means of making more visible the real impact of government tax and transfer policies on children in low-income families, and warns that in some countries the net result of current policies may be to support early retirement over investing in children. Most fundamentally, the report urges all OECD governments to establish credible targets and timetables for the progressive reduction of child poverty. This publication is the sixth in a series of Innocenti Report Cards designed to monitor and compare the performance of the OECD countries in meeting the needs of their children. It is also the first in a series of annual Innocenti Reports on Child Poverty in Rich Countries.